Slow Lane Cafe

As elsewhere, bloggers are not in short supply in France. I’ve highlighted 10 here. They caught my eye because they are current and relatively frequent. Some are based in the region of France – Provence – in which I’ll be living the first half of 2014 and from which I’ll be doing much of my writing and photography. Others offer something unusual, such as an interesting video blog, a couple of sumptuous food blogs and a language site I’ve found helpful.

This site bills itself as a “digital news source produced for global Francophiles, visitors to France and residents in the country.” Offers a mix of original reporting and news summaries culled from various French media.

5 comments for “Slow Lane Cafe”

Steve Smith

April 17, 2014 at 12:13 am

Your blog and website look great and I look forward to learning a lot more about Provence. We are doing a home and car exchange for the month of August (staying in Aups) and your experiences will be very helpful. I’m trying to learn as much as I can before we go (bought 6-7 travel books).

Thanks Steve. We haven’t made it to Aups yet but I hear it’s a nice town. It was on our route the day of our aborted return trip from the Gorge du Verdon. It rained and I ran out of energy to drive more of the two-lane white roads, which would have taken us through Aups. I do know from our landlady that there are some spectacular restaurants in that area, which is big on truffles. Let me know if you’d like some recommendations. Our landlady knows food.

I always find that planning is much of the fun in travel. Keep in mind that August will be hot in Provence. If I were you,
I start the days early and stay in a place with a pool. Aups won’t be as hot as Aix though.

ABOUT THIS SITE

This site is devoted to slow-lane travel in France, to the back roads and off-the-beaten-path locales away from the country’s swift superhighways. My wife, Kathy, and I will start 2014 in Aix-en-Provence, our second extended stay there. We’ll be learning more of the French language, absorbing Provence’s culture and inhaling the smells of its sprawling marketplaces. Later, we’ll head out on a grand French tour, plotting a route over back roads and between villages in the French countryside.

Our adventures won’t be entirely random. I have a particular interest in people and small businesses – artisans, farmers, specialty shops and vintners – who are trying to save old family and cultural traditions by applying new means of innovation.

As Kathy and I poke, we’ll share tips with you, our readers, on where to stop, the best walks and wineries, the best boulangeries and cafes, the best local boule courts and the best brocantes, where old stuff gets sold. We’ll share stories and photos of the places and the people who live and work in them.

We’d like to hear from you, too. Please share a comment, a suggestion, or, if you’d like, a guest post. There’s a place for comments under Slow Lane Café photo on the homepage and under About the Author. Please write to me there, or on Facebook or Twitter, if you have a suggestion or want to write a guest post.